The Works of Theodore Roosevelt Volume 1 (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III 1812 ON THE OCEAN Commodore Rodgers's cruise and unsuccessful chase of the Belvidera?Cruise of the Essex?Captain Hull's cruise and escape from the squadron of Commodore Broke?Constitution captures Guerriere?Wasp captures Frolic?Second unsuccessful cruise of Commodore Rodgers?.United States captures Macedonian?Constitution captures Java?Essex starts on a cruise?Summary. AT the time of the declaration of war, June 18, 1812, the American navy was but partially prepared for effective service. The Wasp, 18, was still at sea, on her return voyage from France; the Constellation, 38, was lying in the Chesapeake River, unable to receive a crew for several months to come; the Chesapeake, 38, was lying in a similar condition in Boston harbor; the Adams, 28, was at Washington, being cut down and lengthened from a frigate into a corvette. These three cruisers were none of them fit to go to sea till after the end of the year. The Essex, 32, was in New York harbor, but, having some repairs to make, was not yet ready to put out. The Constitution, 44, was at Annapolis, without all of herstores, and engaged in shipping a new crew, the time of the old one being up. The Nautilus, 14, was cruising off New Jersey, and the other small brigs were also off the coast. The only vessels immediately available were those under the command of Commodore Rodgers at New York, consisting of his own ship, the President, 44, and of the United States, 44, Commodore Decatur; Congress, 38, Captain Smith; Hornet, 18, Captain Lawrence; and Argus, 16, Lieutenant Sinclair. It seems marvellous that any nation should have permitted its ships to be so scattered, and many of them in such an unfit condition, at the beginning of hostilities. The British vessels cruising off the coast were not at that time ve...